The present invention concerns a device in connection with pipes for the transformation of dispersed liquid/gas flow into laminar or stratified flow. More precisely, the present invention concerns a device that is designed to break down drops of liquid in a gas flow, in particular a gas flow in a pipe or a pipe separator.
In many situations in connection with the flow of gas in a pipe, there will also be drops of liquid dispersed in the gas flow. In particular in connection with the production of oil and gas or in installations for processing, for example the separation of oil and gas, there will be flow conditions in which large quantities of liquid exist as drops dispersed in the gas. For several reasons, it is desirable to break down the drops of liquid in such gas flows in order to achieve pure flows of gas/liquid.
The prior art contains the use of so-called drop traps for the separation of drops of liquid from a gas flow, but such drop traps consist of separate devices connected to the transport pipe and have external dimensions that extend far beyond the diameter of the transport pipe. Such a drop trap has a relatively expensive design and cannot be used in contexts in which there is a lack of space or where it is required that the diameter of the transport pipe for the gas/liquid transported cannot be exceeded by much.
The applicant having filed the present patent application has previously filed patent applications, including PCT/NO98/00085, concerning the separation of fluids in pipes or wells, for example sea bed and downhole separation of oil, water and gas. An essential precondition for achieving separation in a pipe or well is that the flow is stratified.
In connection with the extraction of oil and gas, there may be dispersed liquid/gas flow in many situations where downhole pipe separators are used.